The famed chassidic singer Yaakov Shwekey will appear in Judea for the first time next week. Shwekey will hold a concert in the city of Efrat on Wednesday, June 2.
Shwekey was born in Jerusalem, and moved with his family to the United States at the age of eight. He has appeared in Latrun and Caesaria, and intended to hold a concert in Gush Katif, but was unable to do so prior to the expulsion of Jews from the area.
100 soldiers serving in the hesder program, which combines IDF service and Torah study, have been invited to the Efrat event, which is also open to the public. Shwekey has made gestures of appreciation to IDF soldiers in previous concerts as well; at his 2009 performance in Latrun he invited the soldiers in the audience to join him onstage.
The singer expressed his excitement at the chance to perform in Judea and Samaria for the first time. While he has appeared in many locations in Israel and worldwide, the Efrat concert will hold special significance, he said this week.
Shwekey's music career began when he was a child, singing with the Miami Boys Choir. His first album, Shomati, was released in 2001, he has released several albums since, including his 2010 disc The Shwekey Collection. HIs performance of "Vehi Sheamda Lavoteinu" to an original, slow melody, performed with Israeli singer Aaron Raziel at a joint concert last year, took Israel by storm. It was seen as alluding to Ahmadenijad's and other threats to annihilate Israel today. The original words from the Passover Haggadah were changed from past to present tense in the new rendition.
Shwekey was born in Jerusalem, and moved with his family to the United States at the age of eight. He has appeared in Latrun and Caesaria, and intended to hold a concert in Gush Katif, but was unable to do so prior to the expulsion of Jews from the area.
100 soldiers serving in the hesder program, which combines IDF service and Torah study, have been invited to the Efrat event, which is also open to the public. Shwekey has made gestures of appreciation to IDF soldiers in previous concerts as well; at his 2009 performance in Latrun he invited the soldiers in the audience to join him onstage.
The singer expressed his excitement at the chance to perform in Judea and Samaria for the first time. While he has appeared in many locations in Israel and worldwide, the Efrat concert will hold special significance, he said this week.
Shwekey's music career began when he was a child, singing with the Miami Boys Choir. His first album, Shomati, was released in 2001, he has released several albums since, including his 2010 disc The Shwekey Collection. HIs performance of "Vehi Sheamda Lavoteinu" to an original, slow melody, performed with Israeli singer Aaron Raziel at a joint concert last year, took Israel by storm. It was seen as alluding to Ahmadenijad's and other threats to annihilate Israel today. The original words from the Passover Haggadah were changed from past to present tense in the new rendition.